Developer/Publisher: PopCap Games
Genre: Puzzle
Price: $2.99
Verdict: If you’re in to puzzle games, this one is a gem!
Pros: Casual experience for the hardcore puzzler
Cons: May be a bit too casual for those not in to the genre

PopCap must be stopped! Their games can not continue to litter the streets any longer! These so called “casual games” are a hardcore gamer’s dream come true. Simple games with all around simple features, yet oh so satisfying gameplay. Though Bejeweled 2 may look like a “casual game,” don’t let that stop you from enjoying one of the best puzzlers that I’ve ever played.

Bejeweled 2 is a puzzle game that, at first may not seem like it takes much strategy to plow through. But if you think this is a mindless gem swapping title, you’re dead wrong, and you won’t last long here. Bejeweled 2 is so much more than a simple puzzler, it’s a strategy game that forces you to second guess every move you make. The hardest part is staying focused, seeing how you’re only goal is to connect three or more jewels of the same color, it’s easy to start speeding through the combinations right away. If you don’t take the time and think about every swap you make, you’ll likely miss out on golden opportunities that could have landed you major points, leaving you without any moves in a matter of minutes.

The best way to succeed, as mentioned, is to use your noggin (this is a puzzle game after all). With so many jewels on the board, it can get hard to notice combinations, even if you’re looking right at a combo maker. Due to the fact that every piece you eliminate sends another piece falling into its place, you’ll be able to strategize for a few turns in advance, but you still have to be careful, because you may end up having other options down the road that you didn’t see before-hand. In a way, Bejeweled 2 sort of reminds me of Chess. They both require you plan your attack at least three moves or more in advance with every turn, in order to do well.

Now that you’ve got a feel for the game, it’s time to get to the cool stuff. EXPLOSIONS! Yeah, you heard right, this baby packs some heat. Though the normal three in a row combo won’t provide you with any fireworks, connect four and you’ll get a powerful jewel that sparkles like no other. Once you’ve created a Power Gem, the only thing left is to light the fuse right? Well in order to do that you’re going to need to set this baby up in another three (or more) combo. Once detonated, all of the surrounding pieces will go up in a fiery bang, leaving you a nice big hole to fill with brand new jewelery from above. Chain bombs can be created as well if you plan all of your moves carefully, often resulting in half of the playing field going up in smoke.

Bombs aren’t the only extra pieces that can be formed though. If you’re good enough, or just plain lucky, you’ll be able to chain five jewels together to make a Hyper Cube. These bad boys will eliminate every jewel of the one particular color that you swap it with, and they do it with style. In a rather spectacular event, lightning bolts shoot out across the entire playing field, destroying all of the gems that they touch. Though you may think that the color with the most gems on board should be your first target, make sure there aren’t other ways to eliminate more, by taking less. Remember that every gem you take, has another fall into its place, which could lead to multiple combos that may be left behind should you decide to take the majority gem.

Three game modes are available, which essentially consist of Endless (training), Classic (easy), and Action (hardcore). Endless is exactly what it sounds like, you’ll continue to make moves with no end in sight. There is no real need for strategy here, but this is a good place to start learning the ropes. Everything you learn in Endless will help prepare you for Classic Mode. In Classic mode there is no real pressure to hurry through your decisions as there is no penalty for taking too much time. Though there is an auto-hint that sets off after a certain amount of time, you can open your options menu and change that to manual, meaning you could take all day long and not receive a penalty. If you do decide to get a hint though, you’ll be looking at a reduction in total score. While Endless and Classic are all fine and dandy, the true hardcore gamers will play in Action Mode. Your score will continuously fall, forcing you to keep making on the fly decisions if you want any chance at advancing to the next level. Action Mode is where boys become men.

If you’re a fan of puzzle games then this should be your next purchase, then again if you really are a puzzle fan, you already own it. Bejeweled 2 captures everything that’s great in a (dare I say) casual game, while still enticing more experienced players to join in on the fun.